Gentle
by PerennialOutlander
Summary: guy meets girl. Saves girl from vampire. Tells girl his name. girl hears his mind. Just your average boymeetsgirl story.


**Gentle

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**

Note to Public: this takes place after Eclipse. Otherwise it's a complete AU, I think.

Summary: guy meets girl. Saves girl from vampire. Tells girl his name. girl hears his mind. Just your average boy-meets-girl story.

* * *

Lost. 

That was her predicament.

She had lost the trail, lost her compass in the river, lost the sun in the rain clouds.

Yeah, she was so in the essence of lost.

Why did she ever let them convince her to go hiking with them today? She wasn't great at it, far behind her brothers, but they always picked the easier ones when she came along. And now, even on the 'baby' trail, she had gotten lost. Wait: she wasn't on the trail any more. She cursed out loud.

She head a branch snap behind her. she froze. Were there any predatory animals in this area? She didn't think so. She reassured herself as she continued walking. Probably just a deer, or some other small herbivore.

She couldn't help it: her pace stepped up. she could feel her heart speed up as the fear crept in. she felt scared. Normally her confidence wouldn't waver when she was on a trail, but this was unfamiliar territory to her. there was another snap behind her. she pushed past branches as she tried to stop the panic.

In quick succession, leaves and branches cracked behind her in undisguised footsteps.

Someone was playing with her.

She ran.

She couldn't see anything but green as she ran. Her fingers felt numb as she pushed against tree branches that were getting thicker and thicker. It was cornering her, toying with her. she had no doubt in her mind that it was going to hurt her. she turned to look and subsequently lost her footing; she tripped over a root and fell, tumbling down head over heels. She pulled her limbs in as she gained momentum. Her head hurt as it banged against a rock and she felt herself loosen with wooziness.

She crashed into a bed of leaves, the mulch cushioning her fall somewhat. She felt she should be grateful, but she knew she was caught. She tried to move, but she was tightly held by the packed ridge. She also thought she was moving slower, because her head still spun.

She was going to die. It just came to her.

And then she heard a gleeful snarling above her. she looked up, straining her neck. Her eyes widened impossibly as she saw the most beautiful and ghastly thing to be on this earth.

His skin glittered like faceted crystal where the light shone. His ragged blonde hair clung to his face and shoulders in rat-tail snarls. It emphasized his bone structure that was showing through with hunger. His clothes were ripped everywhere, hanging on only by the stitching, and seemed to be military issue. She should know, her father was a major. Her eyes finally met his and she felt terror pierce her heart: they were a demonic red, bright and like blood. Feral. They were hungry. His mouth was open and his teeth were bared as he snarled. They were impossibly sharp. He panted in anticipation. And then he pounced.

Or tried to. There was a crunching sound as something brown impacted with him and sent him hurtling into the trees. She watched as the brown thing leapt after him on four legs, a violent growl coming from its throat. She tried to sit up but her head wouldn't let her. she felt instead like throwing up. she froze as she heard a screech of metal coming from a throat that was abruptly cut off. She heard jaws snapping at rock and then everything went still. She closed her eyes for a brief second and then she smelt smoke, as if it had been burning for a while. She turned her head and looked around.

"hello?" she croaked. She heard something push past branches and then steps coming towards her. she called out again, or attempted to: her voice was gone as her hero came towards her.

It was gorgeous. Huge, like the size of a bear, but not. Its fur was shaggy and long, like the mane of a lion. It was coloured like sunset hitting a jasper stone. On four legs it approached her, its snout twitching at the smell of the smoke. She tried to pull herself up again and it growled at her. she froze. It came forward, its eyes hidden. She felt fear of a different kind.

It came round her and bared its teeth. She started to tremble but then stopped as it gently took her jacket collar in its teeth and pulled. With ease it dragged her out of the hole. It stepped back warily when she was completely out. She sat up, too fast, her head falling into her hands. With her eyes watering, she looked at it again. It watched her, on edge.

"thank you," she whispered. She knew it wasn't a wolf. It was something more. Its eyes were shining with intelligence. It didn't respond as she closed her eyes again. She then heard steps going away from her. "don't go!" she cried out. She heard it stop. "please… I don't know where I am." Why was she pleading with it like it could understand her? it cocked its head to one side and considered her. she knew she must look like she was in bad shape. She felt the warm liquid oozing from the cut on her head. She looked up at it.

"please." Could an animal like that sigh? It seemed to. Wait a minute, it wasn't an animal. What was it? It came toward her and nudged her head that was in her hands again. She looked through her fingers and the black orbs stared back at her. trust it? That's what it was asking? How could she not? She let the fingers of one hand reach out and rest on its snout.

"okay," she heard escape her mouth. In one fluid move, it reared up on its two hind legs. She gasped as the werewolf came to vivid life from her mind to this being. It looked down at her and it seemed to be struggling with its thoughts and its instincts. And then she was suddenly swooped into its arms and she knew nothing other than the heat covering her in waves.

* * *

"Ruth? Ruthie?" someone called. She didn't want to go to it, but the voice pulled her from her dream. She opened her eyes blearily and stared up at her youngest twin brother. He smiled at her in relief. 

"she's okay," he called out and she heard the noise of many shoes clambering round her. she blinked and stared up at her brothers.

"where's…Dad?" she mumbled.

"here baby." She looked to her side and saw him perched uncomfortably on a camping stool. She then realized that she was lying on a camping cot in the nature reserve's registration cabin. She tried to sit up but all her brothers pushed her down.

"stay down!" her older twin brothers Roger and Ray echoed.

"idiot," Rob, the eldest, said cheerfully.

"you're hurt," her youngest twin brother Ron said plaintively. Rick, his twin, kept quiet, just frowning at her.

"fine. How'd I get here?" she asked.

"another hiker found you lying on the trail," Ron replied.

"we looked for you for three hours-" Ray was interrupted.

"- before we got called back that you were here," Roger continued. She narrowed her eyes, wincing as it pulled at the bandage on her head.

"what about Jake?" she asked. Wait, who was Jake? Her father echoed her thoughts.

"who's Jake, baby?" he asked softly. she shook her head.

"don't…remember," she struggled to say. She felt unconsciousness trying to crush her, and her family immediately picked up on it.

"sleep, Ruth. We'll wake you when we need to leave," her father ordered, stroking back her fringe. Her eyes closed without warning and she drifted into sleep.

* * *

"_I want to know your name." the werewolf looked at her blankly where she sat up against a tree trunk. It considered what she was saying. Nothing could get more unreal than this. Then it looked at her and motioned to the dirt in front of her. shakily, it drew into the ground with a nail. It rubbed out a letter and started over, its snout wrinkling in determination. In childlike letters, she read:_

"_Jacob." He looked at her, shocked. Like he hadn't heard his name spoken in a long time. "how long have you been like this?" she asked softly. he shook his head. Another wave of darkness swept over her eyes and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_

It was night-time and she was alone in the cabin. Her family had probably gone back to their camp-site. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the cot. She was only a little dizzy now. She stood up with one hand still holding on to the cot. Okay, she was fine. She walked over to the window and looked out at the clear sky. The stars shone down through the trees. What was she missing? She wanted to thank Jake. Maybe figure out what had made him like that. No one existed like that.

She saw the shadows move. No, a shadow. She squinted into the dark. Two dark eyes glittered at her and she put her palm against the glass.

"Jake!" she exclaimed. His eyes vanished and before she knew it, she had opened the door and rushed out. Cold air rushed at her but she didn't shiver. She ran after where she thought he had gone. The blood rushed to her head and she stumbled over her feet. Hot, furry digits grabbed her before she fell to the ground. She looked up into a shaggy face that was twitched into a disapproving frown. How could a snout do that?

"why'd you leave? Or start to?" like she was expecting an answer. He growled at her.

"yeah, I know. Why should you answer?" he cocked his head to one side.

"why are you sad?" his eyes widened impossibly. "what?" he touched a claw-tip to her temple and then to his. "what!" he shook his head, a growl escaping his throat.

"you changed yourself, change back!" she snapped, and then gasped. What was she saying? He looked taken aback as well.

"I'm not!" it just popped out of her mouth. "stop it," she moaned, her head aching. She squeezed her temples between her fists. Gentle fingers pulled at her hands. She raised her head and inhaled sharply, her head spinning. He looked back at her, his black hair hanging down way past his collarbone, almost touching his waist. His brown eyes shone in the moonlight, as did his dark red-brown skin. his mouth was wide open.

they stared at each other.

Entranced.

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End.

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So, does anyone want me to try continue this? I wrote it as a short story, never meant for it to be longer. Let me know, neh? 


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